Rubyfruit Jungle, by Rita Mae Brown

(pb; 1973)

Review:

Bawdy, milestone, blunt and well-written, Rubyfruit is a mainstream-ish coming-of-lesbian-age tale about a Southern girl (Molly Bolt) who realizes early on that her urges - often not considered "lady-like" - don't gibe with the repressive societal elements of the Fifties and Sixties.  It's emotional without being overly so; its points, plot and otherwise, cut across different social territories; its characters feel real and familiar.

Rubyfruit is an excellent, occasionally chatty read, one worth owning.

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This book provided the basis for the 1989 four-minute short film Me and Rubyfruit.  It was directed by Sadie Benning, who may have written the screenplay as well (the above film link doesn't say who did).

Random side note:  Brown also wrote the screenplay for the 1982 slasher film The Slumber Party Massacre (and other films).